The U.K.’s departure from the EU creates “an opportunity to reduce the complexity of the Union,” the European Parliament committee dealing with Brexit said in a report adopted Thursday.

The non-binding report prepared by the European Parliament’s chief Brexit negotiator, Guy Verhofstadt, was backed by major political groups in the Constitutional Affairs Committee. The final version, obtained by POLITICO, has not yet been published. 

Although the European Commission will lead Brexit negotiations, Parliament must give the nod to a final deal.

Click Here: NRL Telstra Premiership

The report states that “a clear framework is required in the future for the EU’s relationships with non-members in our neighborhood.”

Pointing out that the EU’s “founding fathers” had imagined a type of “associate status,” MEPs called for “a partnership,” which “should be defined and developed in order to set up a ring of partners around the EU for states who cannot or will not join the Union, but nevertheless want a close relationship with the EU.”

This would involve making “a financial contribution” and respecting the Union’s “fundamental values and the rule of law.”

MEPs noted “the urgency for reform of the Union has been dramatically increased by the United Kingdom’s referendum result to leave the European Union.”

Immediately after Article 50 is triggered, MEPs want “the questions related to the rights acquired by U.K. citizens as a European citizen” to be examined.

The rights of EU workers in Britain have been a controversial topic since the Brexit vote.

The U.K.’s Home Secretary Amber Rudd came under fire in October for suggesting that businesses should list the names of all foreign workers, while the Secretary of State for International Trade Liam Fox described EU nationals as one of the government’s “main cards’ in Brexit negotiations.

The report argues that “it is essential in these circumstances to reaffirm the mission of an ever-closer union among the peoples of Europe,” in order to clarify again the EU’s “moral, political and historical purpose.”

The report is due to be put to a full vote in Parliament in February, while Britain is expected to activate divorce talks in March.

Ashley Fox, leader of the Conservatives in Parliament, voted against the report in the committee, and claimed it had little utility.

“I’m not sure the report will have that great an impact on Brexit negotiations themselves,” Fox said. “It’s more about where the EU goes after Britain has left.